An investigation into the influence of inter-component assembly gaps upon the geometry of tack welded annular structures

Stewart Lowth, Dragos A. Axinte, Wei Sun

Research output: Journal PublicationArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Large accurate annular weldments are important to a number of heavy industries, such as power generation and civil aero-engine. This research examines the interaction between small assembly gaps and the Preliminary Welding Process (PWP), colloquially known as tack welding. This study has identified two fundamental weld distortion geometries prevalent within ring structures; the quantised saddle and the quantised conic, both a consequence of the small assembly gaps. Furthermore, physical weld trials and finite element modelling, in both simple two plate assemblies and full ring assemblies have shown that volumetric weld shrinkage is the principle thermal-mechanical mechanism driving the identified distortions, so careful placement of the initial welds to avoid assembly gaps can yield a 19× reduction in out-of-plane distortions in the final weldment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-4
Number of pages4
JournalCIRP Annals - Manufacturing Technology
Volume64
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Assembly
  • Weld distortion
  • Welding

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

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